19 Things To Do In London This Weekend

London Weekend Guide | 26th – 28th April 2024

No, you’re not imagining things – it’s going to be June in about five weeks and we’re all still dressed for a Shackleton expedition.

But at least the events going on this weekend are as hot as ever, involving brass band parties at a brewery; some ludicrously huge BBQ platters; rooftop campfire-scorched marshmallows chased down with botanical cocktails; a very unimprovised festival of improvised music; a huge showcase of craft beer (with live music & street food); and probably the best car boot sale in the nation…

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The Best Things To Do On FRIDAY 26th April

1) Brick Lane Jazz Festival | Nudge Member Perk

If you’re a fan of both music and roads named after building materials, we have some good news for you: the Cement Avenue Kazoo Fiesta Brick Lane Jazz Festival is coming to town this weekend. And although they sell out every year, they’re holding a few highly discounted tickets back just for Nudge Members (+1), with 30% off the price…

Details: 26th-28th April | The Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL | £19.50+ (30% off for Nudge Members, find out more here)
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2) Brew//LDN | 100+ beer brands, and you

Brew LDN has a lot of beer. No sh*t Sherlock, we know. But it also has a lot of not beer too, with all manner of street food, live music acts, low & no alcohol options, and more besides. Plus, it’s going to be at Between The Bridges, which is a fantastic venue in itself.

Details: 24-27th April | Between The Bridges, The Queen’s Walk, SE1 | £10+
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3) Black Cactus BBQ | Ludicrously huge burgers in a brewery taproom

Popping up at the Exhale brewery taproom as of this weekend, Black Cactus are an old school, Texas-style BBQ outfit who make everything that can in-house using sustainable techniques, and higher welfare meat. The end result? Oak-smoked, dry-aged, ex-dairy cow rib cap & brisket burgers topped with the likes of smoked ox cheek, bourbon ketchup, and red miso, as well as huuuuge BBQ platters covered in a small farmyard’s worth of meat.

Details: 25th April – October | Exhale Brewery Taproom, Blackhorse Road E17
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4) Old Dirty Brasstards @ Signature Brew | Brass band in a brewery

The Old Dirty Brasstards have been filling dance floors with their unique, tweed-clad twist on popular tunes for over a decade now – and this weekend, they’re hitting a brewery on Blackhorse Road in order to play a lineup of classic ’00s bangers in their own inimitably fun style.

Details: 26th April | Signature Brew, Blackhorse Road | £19.11
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5) Richard Foster at Dina | Former head chef at Chiltern Firehouse

Richard Foster is used to cooking for the ‘my other car is a yacht’ crowd at The Chiltern Firehouse, but for now he’s taking his talents to a wine bar in Leytonstone. His residency at Diana will involve the likes of white asparagus & crab, or ‘the finest tartare & spiced lamb’, all paired up with a whoooole load of vino.

Details: 25th-27th April | 289 High Rd Leytonstone, E11 4HH | £10 deposit
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6) Live at the Empire with Alan Davies | Joined by some of his comedy buddies

Here’s a comedy gig that sounds quite interesting: legendary funny man Alan Davies is leading an impressively starry line-up at the gilded Hackney Empire this month. He’ll be joined by velour tracksuit enthusiast Tim Key; award-winning Edinburgh stalwart Bridget Christie; and Funny Women finalist (and born-and-bred Hackney comedian) Fatiha El-Ghorri, while Lou Sanders comperes. But we’re sure she’ll find them all equally brilliant.

Details: 26th April | Hackney Empire | Tickets cost £18.50-29, and can be booked here.
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7) Campfire Cocktails At Midnight Apothecary | Firepits, marshmallows & cocktails

It’s gotten juuuust warm enough for Midnight Apothecary to reopen their botanical rooftop bar. You’ll start your evening in their charming fairylit urban garden, complete with salvaged garden furniture, firepits, and thriving vegetable and herb patches, and if you fancy you can take a tour of the Brunel Tunnel shaft too…

Details: 26th & 27th April | The Midnight Apothecary, Brunel Museum, Railway Avenue, London, SE16 4LF | £8
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The Best Things To Do On SATURDAY 27th April

 

8) Nancy Silverton x Fortnum & Mason | 20% Off | Partner Content

Nancy Silverton is a living legend.

The pioneering LaBrea Bakery she founded is probably the reason you eat sourdough. Her Wikipedia page has a section just dedicated to her awards. It almost goes without saying that she has a Michelin Star. And now she’s teaming up with another bona fide icon – Fortnum & Mason – for an exclusive, one-off supperclub. It’s all taking place on the evening of April 27th at Nancy’s own London restaurant Pizzeria Mozza at Treehouse London. There, Nancy herself will be hosting a refined five-course dinner, all made with Fortnum & Mason ingredients and paired up with Fortnum & Mason wines served up by their in-house sommeliers.

And the kicker? Nudge readers are getting 20% off the food bill.

Details: 27th April | Pizzeria Mozza, 14-15 Langham Place, W1B 2QS | £85 (20% off for Nudge readers by using code ‘NUDGE20’ in reservation notes
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9) Classic Car Boot Sale | Drive a hard bargain

The Classic Car Boot Sale is essentially the city’s biggest, briefest vintage market, selling old-school threads, music, and bric-a-brac from a parade of beautiful vintage motors. It’s like a shop and a museum smooshed together. If you’re planning driving there, just make sure to park around the corner.

Details: 27th & 28th April | Granary Square, Kings Cross, N1C 4AA | £7
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10) In the Round Festival | Last day, feat. Samara Joy

Housed in a former train depot where carriages could be rotated and sent off on different tracks, the Roundhouse was transformed from a glorified shed to Camden’s home of culture and performance back in 1966. Now, it’s hosting the In The Round Festival, which has seen an eclectic lineup of bands & performers – and today, the last day of the festival will Samara Joy taking to that circular stage.

Details: 18th – 27th April | The Camden Roundhouse, NW1 8EH | £10+
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11) MC Hammersmith: Straight Outta Brompton | Man’s got more flow than the Thames 

If Bo Burnham had grown up in a middle class West London household, this is who he’d have become. MC Hammersmith is the multi award-winning, extremely serious rapper behind such hits as “Woefully Average Penis”, and fresh off the release of his debut album (Mother’s Fettucine), he’s touring the UK. His scripted stuff is uniformly excellent, but it’s his jaw-dropping ability to freestyle comedy raps based on audience suggestions that’ll really blow your socks off.

Details: 27th April | Leicester Square Theatre | Tickets cost £19.50, and can be booked HERE.
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12) Disney Mystery Movie Marathon | “No clues, no hints, no refunds”

Do you like Disney animated movies? Well the Prince Charles Cinema have a cartoonishly fun night in store. For one ticket, you can settle into an all-night marathon featuring four mystery flicks. Expect audience interaction.

Details: 27th April | The Prince Charles Cinema | £20
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13) The World Photography Awards | A highly controversial exhibition

Juicy Controversy Alert: last year’s winner of the World Photography Awards turned out to be AI generated. The organisers tried to give the award to the photographer anyway. He refused to accept it. It was something of a kerfuffle. Anyway, everyone’s going to be scrutinising the images on show this year verrrry carefully to make sure there was a pulse involved. But whatever the case, they’ll be absolutely stunning…

Details: 19th April – 6th May 2024 | Somerset House | £15
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Things to do on SUNDAY 28th April

 

14) Hot Flush by Peachy Endings | Cold soft serve, hot flavours

The ice cream-savvy Terri Mercieca (aka Happy Endings) is partnering up with the Chinese food savant Jenny Lau (aka Celestial Peach) to create Peachy Endings – and this weekend they’re celebrating Terri’s journey into peri-menopause with Hot Flush, a pop up serving “cold, cold soft serve with hot, hot flavours”.

Details: 28th April, from noon | Happy Endings HQ. Arch 437 Burdett Road, E3 4JS
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15) Untapped at The Sea, The Sea | £75 tasting menus from rising star chefs

The Sea, The Sea have decided to lend their beautiful alien steampunk spaceship style chef’s table space to some up & coming chefs. And by ‘up & coming’ they mean people like the esteemed Filipino chef Budgie Montoya, who is manning the pans this Sunday… But the best bit? The full tasting menu is only £75, which is a bargain for what you’re getting.

Details: 28th April | The Sea, The Sea, 337 Acton Mews, E8 4EA | £75
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16) Entangled Pasts, 1768 – Now | Final day

The idea behind this exhibition is simple – typing the past of colonialism to the present. Thus you’ll see Empire-era works from the likes of J.M.W. Turner and Joshua Reynolds juxtaposed with those of modern artists who hail from the African, Caribbean and South Asian diasporas, including Lubaina Himid and Issac Julien. There are over 100 works on show in total, from classical paintings to immersive video installations, photography, and floating armadas of sculpted boats.

Details: Until 28th April | The Royal Academy | Tickets cost £22 and are available right here.
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17) Giant London Flea | Scratch that bargain-hunting itch

The phrase ‘giant London flea’ might, at first, strike terror into your heart. But thankfully, this one doesn’t suck nearly as much as it sounds, given that it’s just a good ol’ flea market packed with 100 traders slinging their vintage wares. It’s apparently London’s largest indoor flea market, and you’ll find it in the old Olympic Park this Sunday.

Details: 28th April | Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Multi-Storey Car Park, 3 Lesney Avenue, E15 2GZ | £2.30
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18) Queer East | A multi-disciplinary LGBTQ+ festival

Queer East started out as a film festival showcasing Asia’s best LGBTQ+ cinema, but it’s since morphed into a multi-disciplinary affair, featuring the whole spectrum of visual arts at venues across the city. If you want to catch it, today’s the finale…

Details: 17th – 28th April | Across London
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19) The Cult of Beauty | Final day

This vast exhibition corrals over 200 objects to explore how ideals of beauty have evolved over the centuries, and the lengths people will go to to attain them. There are 4,000 year old cosmetics palettes from Ancient Egypt and grim footage of modern-day facelifts, and the exhibits are absolutely fascinating – though there’s a definite subjectivity to the exhibition’s narrative, and not a lot of digging into why we buy into these bizarre notions. But the show’s proclaimed ambition is to provoke a dialogue, so bring a friend, discuss it afterwards… and hope it doesn’t turn ugly. And this is its last weekend…

Details: Until 28th April | The Wellcome Collection | Free
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Fancy escaping the capital? Check out our newly-refreshed pick of amazing day trips from London